Boot-tree



W. C. TROCHE.

800T TREE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12. 1920.

Patentd Nov. 23, 1920.

In val 2501* W'Zlziam 6: Trac/ze UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM q. rnocnn, or AKRON, 01110, ASSIGNOR r0 THE B. r. GOODRIGH COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BOOT-TREE.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM C. Tnooi-in, a Citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Boot-Tree, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to trees or lasts for making boots with high uppers, for example, rubber boots, where the leg part of the tree has to be separated from the forepart and withdrawn from the boot by a longitudinal sliding movement as distin guished from a hinging or diagonal move ment such as is permissible with ordinary shoe lasts.

The object of my invention is to provide a sectional last of which the parts will be firmly secured together, without undue play, while assembled, but which may be readily withdrawn from the boot.'

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved last.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to thedrawings, 10 is the leg or body of the tree, including the heel portion integral therewith. 11 is the fore-part or foot of the last, divided from the leg or body part 10 by intersecting vertical and horizontal contact planes 12 and 1.3. The parts are usually made of metal, and as shown are hollow. The vertical face 12 of the leg section 10 is provided with a rectangular registering guide or tongue ll adapted to inter-fit with and be vertically slidable in a slot or groove 15 in the vertical face of the fore-part 1.1. Thus the legpart 10 and the foot 11 are adapted for relative vertical movement, while relative lateral movement is prevented by the guide 14: in the slot or groove 15. 16 is a latch hinged to the vertical outer face of the guide 14 by means of a projection 17 on the upper end of said latch which pivotally rests in a re cess 18 in said guide 14:. 19 is a coil spring extending through a hole 20 in the vertical front wall of the leg-part 10 and the guide 14. It is secured at its rear endv to a cross- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

Application filed July 12, 1920. Serial No. 395,532.

pin 21 in the heel of the last and at its forward end. to a cross-pin 22 extending across an opening 23 through the latch 16. The tension of the spring tends to hold the latch against the guide 14. The lower end of the latch 16 is provided with a cam surface 23 on its inner face adapted to engage automatically a cross-pin 24 in the fore-part 11 when the two parts of the last are assembled by a relative vertical movement, with the guide 14: in the slot 15, the latch in this operation assuming the position shown by the dotted line in Fig. 1, but being returned by the spring 19 to the position shown in full. lines when the two parts of the last brought into contact 011 the plane 13. The cam surface 23 is so formed that in this assembled position the cam, under the action of the spring 19, holds the two parts, 10 and 11, yieldingly against both relative vertical and fore-and-aft move ment.

The guide 1% being rectangular, instead of dovetailed as in certain prior lasts, the spring 19 affords a yielding fore and aft connection, and the coil spring, because of its relatively long range of substantially uni form tension, has advantages over a leafspring for this purpose. The latch 16, being hinged or fulcrumed as described, may be made of a single piece of metal, may be cast or forged, and does not require riveting to the body of the last.

I claim: i

In a sectional boot tree the combinatnm of fore-part and heel-part members hav ing a vertical tongue-.and-groove connection adapted to prevent relative lateral move ment of said sections but permit relative vertical. and fore and-aft movement thereof, a latch fulcrumed upon one of said sections and provided with a cam surface adapted to engage a part of the other section, means on said other section to interact with said cam surface, and a spring yieldingly drawing said latch toward the section on which it is fulcrumed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of June, 1920.

WILLIAM C. TROCHE. 

